OGRAN (Observatoire des Guépards en Région d'Afrique du Nord) aims to conserve the threatened North African cheetah through various programmes involving local communities.

It has been estimated that at the beginning of the last century, there were over 100,000 cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)in more than 44 countries, in both Africa and Asia. They have now been made extinct in at least 20 of these countries: habitat loss, conflict with humans, and the cheetah's own loss of genetic variation are the main threats facing the cheetah today. Their total population does not exceed 12 to 15 thousand individuals. About 200 of these are found in Iran. In fact, the vast majority of these amazing animals live outside protected reserves where they often come into conflict with people and livestock. In Namibia, 95% of the population lives on commercial farm land. The animals are often caught in traps or killed by people who believe cheetahs have killed livestock, an accusation which is often exaggerated.

The cheetah is the world's fastest land mammal and can reach speeds of 110 km/hr. A non-aggressive animal, it prefers using flight versus fight. With its weak jaws and small teeth, the price it pais for speed, the cheetah cannot fight larger predators to protect its young or its kill.

Created in early 2005 by Francoise Claro, Awely's vice-president and president of the Paris Zoological Society, Ogran has been managed by Awely since February. It aims to coordinate the efforts of international specialists (in and ex-sit) for the conservation of the very limited individuals of the North African subspecies (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus and hecki). The first missions carried out by SZP, MNHN and IRD in the Termit area, the regional park of W in Niger, and the Penjari region in the W park in Benign, confirm the need for action in the region. The next stages aim at a clarification of the threats, implementation of safety actions, training of rangers, and education of local populations through workshops with a goal of limiting cheetah-human conflicts.

Awely was in Niger and Benin, defining these next stages more precisely, and meeting with various local collaborators. Our organisation has also organised the latest cheetah meeting with the national Benin wildlife authorities in March this year, in the Penjari National Park.

An ethologist by training, Rachel specialized in the behavioral study of small European carnivores at CERFE. She worked for two years with the Zoological Society in Paris, where she helped establish conservation projects for the Hainan gibbon and the Bénin cheetah. Then during another year, Rachel directed the Cheetah Observatories in the regions of North Africa, conducting a study on the cheetah situation in the protected zones of north Bénin. Since 2007, she has been working for the National Hunting and Wildlife Service on the minks reintroduction programme, but is now in French Guyana to follow the progress of marine tortoise projects.

With the support from Zoo d'Amnéville , Zoo de Doué la Fontaine , Zoo de la Palmyre , Safari de Peaugres and Zoo de Thoiry .

Photo 1 : Jérôme Tubiana (SZP/MNHN) , 2 & 3 : Rachel Berzins (SZP/Awely)